A victory for our students and city

We are glad that voters approved the school bond tonight. It is exciting to see our community come together to improve our schools.

This bond truly represents a community-owned vision for our schools, and it reflects the priorities we heard loud and clear from the Portland community.

The bond will provide our students and teachers with better, safer schools. Over the next eight years, we will address many urgent problems in our school buildings. We will replace leaking roofs, improve seismic safety, make schools more accessible to the disabled, upgrade science labs and rebuild 4 schools (including the 3 high schools that have access problems and are in poor seismic condition).

Construction work will start this summer. We will replace leaking roofs and make seismic safety upgrades at 5 schools: Wilson HS, Alameda K-5, Bridlemile K-5, Laurelhurst K-8 and Lewis K-5.

Great schools make great cities. Great cities make great schools. We want to thank the many people who helped shape this bond, weighed in and expressed their priorities for our schools, volunteered to spread the word among their neighbors and voted to pass it.

We are excited to get started.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Carole Smith and the Portland School Board

Portland Public Schools recognizes the diversity and worth of all individuals and groups and their roles in society. It is the policy of the Portland Public Schools Board of Education that there will be no discrimination or harassment of individuals or groups on the grounds of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation in any educational programs, activities or employment.